The Quest for the Oracle
by iwenttohogwarts
Summary: All Percy Jackson wanted was a normal summer, but when Hades showed up in Camp Half-Blood, directing Nico to lead a quest to save the Oracle of Delphi, Percy knew that this summer would be far from normal...
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Please review! They make me superduper happy and encourage me to write. 3_

* * *

Percy Jackson just wanted to be a normal teenager. However, ever since he had been twelve years old, 'normal' had not been a word he could apply to his life. After his sixteenth birthday and after he had saved Olympus itself, Percy had thought that now, just maybe, his life was going to be back to normal. Then not even six months later, Gaia had decided that now was a good time to try and take over the world, and Percy's life was once again thrown into chaos.

Just _once_ he would like a normal year.

He lay sprawled on his bed in the Poseidon Cabin, hoping that maybe just this once, he could have a normal summer. Gaia had been stopped; there hadn't been any prophecies lately and Camp Half-Blood was full of young halfbloods eager to learn. Percy cracked one eye open with the intent of just checking the time on his watch, only to lurch out of bed haphazardly when he realized that he was going to be late. He rolled out of bed and changed as quickly as possible, tugging on his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt as he exited the cabin, only to bump into someone.

"Look where you're going Seaweed Brain," said an amused voice and Percy felt Annabeth tugging down his shirt. He grinned and leaned forward to quickly kiss her on the cheek.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Coming to wake you, since you always sleep in," she responded teasingly, falling into step beside Percy as he started towards the fighting arena. He grinned down at her, reaching to entwine their fingers together.

Percy grinned, "I managed to get up on time...sort of…" He glanced towards the fighting arena, assuming that his sparring partner would already be there. Jason Grace, ever the Roman despite the fact that he had moved to Camp Half-Blood, was always early or on time. Percy had long since given up trying to be places on time. Taking the steps down two at a time, he waved lazily at the blonde boy who was talking to Will Solace.

Will noticed him first and gave him a lazy grin in response, leaning back against the steps, "You two sparring again?" Jason nodded and lifted his sword in greeting to Percy.

Percy nodded cheerfully, stretching slowly to warm up his still sleepy muscles. "Gotta stay sharp, after all."

Annabeth sat down next to Will and propped her elbows on her knees, resting her chin on her hands. She usually came to these matches, as did Jason's girlfriend Piper, and often other campers. With two such powerful demigods fighting, it usually led to something interesting. Their last bout had left Jason half drowned in a colossal tornado of water Percy had summoned from the lake and only after Jason had yielded, had Percy let him go. The matches were intended to simply keep both halfbloods sharp, but they inevitably became more as their pride rose up as quickly as their swords. Despite this, Annabeth couldn't help but grin though as she watched Percy stretching to warm up.

He was still on the growth-spurt continued from the six months he had been gone due to Hera's plans. He was taller than Jason now (though Jason would argue that to the death), and considerably more tanned after an autumn of teaching halfbloods in the open air. His sea-green eyes were alight with excitement and Annabeth couldn't help but notice the muscles flexing in his arms. Her grey eyes drifted pointedly to Jason who, while classically handsome, had nothing unique to him. He looked like a movie star...Percy looked like a god.

She glanced over as Piper sat down beside her, though the daughter of Aphrodite made no comment. A faint smirk appeared on Annabeth's lips: someone was still a bit sore after watching her boyfriend be beaten by Percy the previous week. As the two boys warmed up, more halfbloods wandered down to sit around the arena. Annabeth was silently pleased to see Nico slide in quietly next to Will, who made no motion towards Nico, though the Apollo halfblood's smile grew dazzlingly wide. Even Chiron had shown up, several small halfbloods trailing curiously behind him.

The sun blazed down from the sky, catching the light of Imperial Gold as Jason swung his sword against a practice dummy, and Percy unsheathed Anaklusmos almost lazily. Annabeth frowned slightly, hoping that Percy wouldn't take this fight for granted. Yes, it was all for practice, but she couldn't lie...watching Percy fight Jason was a thrill and seeing Piper sulk after a loss (when normally she looked as flawless as Aphrodite's daughters ought to) had a certain charm.

"Want to just use swords, Grace?" Percy asked, a mischievous grin lopsided on his face, "or did you want another bath?"

Jason, less expressive than Percy, just grunted and in response, swung his sword at Percy. The sharp clang of metal on metal signified the start of the fight. Imperial Gold clashed with its rarer cousin, Celestial Bronze, as the two boys began to fight. Even without using their demigod skills, it was a sight to behold. They both moved wickedly fast, blades a blur as they spun, hacked and jabbed. Percy's more athletic Grecian style of fighting kept him moving, but Annabeth could tell he was reining himself in. In a fight against a demigod like Jason, endurance would be as important as swordplay.

It was Jason who used his power first. Percy had dropped under Jason's blade and swung his leg, taking out Jason at the knees. The dark-haired demigod had been about to pounce when there was a crack and lightning crashed to the ground right at Percy's feet, blowing him backwards fifteen feet. He hit the ground hard, dazed for a moment, and Jason scooped up his sword, charging forward. Percy recovered and rolled to the side, performing a kick up to get back to his feet while blocking Jason's sword. The nonchalant grin was gone from his face but his eyes were alight with energy. There was a moment as the two boys circled each other and Jason laughed a bit, perhaps from stress or exhaustion. Annabeth could tell what he was thinking: there was no water nearby and to summon it from so far away, or to create it, would cost Percy a great amount of energy.

Then Annabeth saw it. That wry grin that drifted over Percy's lips whenever he had a plan. He clenched a fist and dropped down to one knee, punching the ground as he lifted Riptide to block Jason's swing. The ground suddenly shuddered and a few halfbloods screamed in surprise as an earthquake began shaking the entire arena. He wasn't the son of the Earthshaker for nothing. Jason was caught off guard, losing his footing and Percy lunged forward. Riptide was a blur as he jumped and there was a moment where there was a sharp clang and then Jason's sword went flying away from him.

Triumph blazed over Percy's face but admitting to defeat was not something Jason Grace did easily. Tornado force winds swept down from the sky, swirling around him and lifting him off the ground, carrying him towards his sword. Percy grinned and he took off running. With his free hand, Percy made a sweeping gesture around his body and water shot out of the ground with a crack, swirling around him and creating a mini hurricane around him. Droplets of mist dampened those in the crowd and the Son of Poseidon collided with the Son of Jupiter, lightning crashing as the two miniature storms collided.

Water crashed down from the hurricane and the winds swept away, leaving both boys standing with their swords. But Percy had the advantage now. Drenched in water, his father's element gave him strength and he charged forward, a blur as he attacked Jason. Thirty seconds later, Jason was disarmed and Percy stood panting with his sword to the Roman's neck.

Applause thundered from the arena as demigods cheered on. Percy stepped back, grinning widely while trying to catch his breath. He looked over at Annabeth and grinned before reaching down to help Jason to his feet. For a moment, the two powerful demigods surveyed each other and Annabeth could see slight sparks flickering around Jason's hands. Then they nodded and stepped back.

Annabeth couldn't help the sense of pride sweeping through her. Percy was growing more and more powerful by the day, making it harder and harder for other demigods to compete with him. She made her way down the stairs to go stand by his side when Nico shot to his feet, eyes on the ground. It was shuddering, cracking, the earth splitting open in a circular crack. Percy and Jason were both forced to jump backwards, skittering on the dirt as it collapsed into the earth.

Black smoke slowly seeped out of the broken earth, a toxic scent filling the air and then the ground closed with a crack. The thick smog dissipated and when it was gone, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, stood solemnly, his Helm of Darkness under one arm and his sword in his hand. And while the Lord of the Death's face was never kind, it was colder than usual. Trouble had once again come to Camp Half-Blood, this time in the form of a god.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Let's get this quest starteddd! Any guesses about who the halfbloods who accompany Nico will be? As always, reviews are my bread and butter, so please leave a little something!  
_

* * *

It was one of the strangest meetings Percy had ever been in. Hades sat at the head of the table in the Big House upon a throne he had conjured. Around the table sat Nico, looking paler than normal. Will Solace, looking so hilariously different than Hades that Percy had to fight a wild desire to laugh. Annabeth, her grey eyes on Hades. Chiron, standing next to Hades and speaking in low tones. Then Hades raised a hand and silence fell. Percy felt cold all of a sudden and goosebumps erupted over his tanned skin. Under the table, he felt Annabeth reach for his hand and he took hers firmly, looking to the Lord of the Dead.

"The Oracle of Delphi has been taken."

The announcement caused Percy's hand to clench iron tight around Annabeth's, and she winced though her gaze didn't leave Hades. Even Chiron seemed thrown off, his tail swishing back and forth uneasily.

"I spoke to Rachel Dare yest-" the centaur began, falling silent as Hades spoke again.

"I do not speak of the human vessel for the Oracle. Something came into my land and took the Oracle from its resting place. As you can hopefully understand," the Death god said calmly and coldly, "this creates a problem for you children of the gods. There will be no prophecies until the Oracle is rescued. That is why I have come." His eyes drifted to Nico, who sat still next to Will Solace, his pale face empty of emotion but rigidly locked on his father's gaze.

"Nico will lead the quest to find the Oracle of Delphi, as well as the one who has stolen it," Hades continued, reaching into his dark cloak and drawing out a pomegranate. Extending it to Nico, Hades nodded to his son, "This pomegranate contains a set number of seeds...that number will be the amount of demigods who will accompany you on this quest." His cold eyes drifted around the table and then he stood, gesturing to the doors. They flew open with a bang and Hades looked cooly at Percy, Annabeth and Will. "Leave. There is one more delicate matter I must discuss with my son and Chiron."

Nico watched as Percy and Annabeth left first. Will hesitated at first and then, after Nico nodded to him, disappeared out the door. Swallowing slightly, Nico turned back to look at his father, who was studying the door and then glanced at Nico. "Son of Apollo, isn't he?"

Nico's ears burned slightly and he nodded stiffly. Seemingly satisfied by that answer, Hades leaned back in his chair. "For the quest, it will take two children of the Underworld to rescue the Oracle of Delphi. Two Greek children."

Chiron's tail twitched and he looked respectfully to Hades. "Unless my lord has a child we are unaware of…"

Hades shook his head, considering his sword. Nico could feel waves of distaste and anger rolling off his godly parent and he wondered if Chiron felt the same. "Nico remains my only child. There is the matter of the Roman child Hazel...but the power is with the Greeks now, and it must be Grecians who rescue the Oracle of Delphi." He snapped his fingers and the sword disappeared. "There is a girl at camp here by the name of Cassia Grant… She was claimed two years ago by Demeter." Hades paused, his expression like that of someone who had just tasted something bitter. "Her true parent, however, is my wife."

Nico jolted and Chiron's eyes widened. Hades continued.

"My wife...is not always content in the Underworld. In the months she returns above the earth, she walks the land. And in one case fifteen years ago…" The ground beneath Hades was freezing, ice forming beneath his chair. Nico felt the anger triple in strength and shifted uncomfortably. "Circumstances aside," Hades murmured, distaste in every syllable, "my wife begged for the child to be protected. She was brought to this camp and claimed under Demeter's name."

The Lord of the Dead stood and looked down at Nico, and for a moment, the son of Hades thought he saw his father's gaze soften. "She must be one of your companions on this quest. When you have made your other choices, pray at my shrine."

A crack like lightning shook the entire Big House, and Hades disappeared, leaving only a patch of ice on the floor where he had sat.

Nico sat, shaken. He had never considered himself a leader. In each of the quests that had taken place in his time after escaping the Lotus Casino, he had been on the outskirts. A drifter, flickering in and out of quests as he saw fit. Leading though? He glanced at Chiron uncertainly and then at the pomegranate in his hands. Carefully, he cracked the pomegranate open. Instead of being full of seeds like the regular fruit, this pomegranate was mostly white flesh, and in that flesh were five sunken seeds. '_...that number will be the amount of demigods who will accompany you.'_ A total of six...one person short of lucky. The story of Nico's life.

Silently, he took out the five seeds and placed them in his pocket. He didn't know why, but Nico had learned by now that if a god gave you a gift, you kept it. You never knew if it would come in handy later. He felt Chiron place a hand on his shoulder and Nico looked up at the centaur. For a moment he thought of asking Chiron for advice, but instead, stood up and headed towards the door. He could tell that Chiron wanted to say something but for whatever reason, the centaur didn't and Nico wasn't about to encourage a chat. As he went to the door, Chiron called out, "I'll tell Cassia, Nico…" Nico didn't respond.

Stepping out into the sunlight, Nico saw Percy start towards him to ask a question but Annabeth took his hand and shook her head slightly. Nico was relieved. While most of his feelings for Percy had faded, part of him still had a soft spot for the Son of Poseidon and right now he had other things to focus on...like the quest that had just been dropped into his lap. Instead of Percy approaching, however, it was Will who fell into step alongside Nico.

The son of Apollo had at least six inches on Nico, maybe more, a height difference that Nico both hated and liked. Perhaps he hated it because he liked it...he didn't know. Will shoved his hands into his shorts, kicking a rock idly. He was dressed casually, as usual, Nico noticed. Tan bermuda shorts, Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, hair windswept and yet managing to look effortlessly cool, and barefoot. Will had told Nico once that he preferred being barefoot but for the life of him, Nico couldn't figure out why and Will refused to tell him now.

"I'm coming with you, you know."

Nico nearly tripped and looked up with a scowl at Will. "Is that so?"

Will nodded comfortably, smiling down at the scowl. "Yeah. You need someone to watch out for you. And to make you less grumpy," Will said, grinning widely and bumping shoulders with Nico.

Nico's scowl doubled as he fought to keep it a glare and ignore the skeletal butterflies that had suddenly started flapping in his chest. "You know technically I'm older than you," he informed Will dryly, "so I should be bossing you around."

At this, Will merely snorted in amusement and waved a hand, "Lotus years don't count. I told you that. I'm older. And I'm coming along. You could use someone with my skills, and I'd feel better if I were there with you."

It was when Will said things like that that made Nico's heart pound and his head feel fuzzy. He kept scowling at the ground in front of him, heading down the hill towards the woods but Will kept following him. Shadow-travel would be the fastest way to Necromanteion, the most holy of his father's shrines and in broad daylight, darkness would be found best in the woods. "You're not coming with me to meet my dad," Nico said flatly as he walked deeper into the woods. Will smiled, nodded, and shrugged his shoulders, continuing to walk and not argue the point, much to Nico's annoyance and surprise.

Coming to a stop at a particularly large tree whose shadow draped over the ground like a silk black sheet, Nico turned to Will, about to tell him to leave for the hundredth time when the son of Apollo bent down and pressed his lips to Nico's. Heat roared up in Nico, overwhelming any surprise and shock he might have felt. He stood still, too startled to move his hands, and too distracted by the way Will's lips were warm like the sun, his hands gently sliding down Nico's arms. Then, with cheeks burning red, Will stepped back from Nico and with a slight grin, waved, "See you when you get back, Ghost King."

Nico couldn't respond. Instead, he nodded dumbly and stepped back into the shadows, disappearing instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Notes: Thank you everyone favoriting and following this story! I'm so glad you're liking it!_

* * *

Nico was so thrown off by receiving his first kiss that he ended up several dozen miles west of his destination. Sitting in the shade of a tree on an island to the east of Greece, resting after the massive shadow-jump, the son of Hades stared at the sparkling blue-green water of the Aegean Sea. The water was the color of Percy Jackson's eyes, eyes that had always caused Nico's heart to pound. Now however, a different set of blue eyes, those the color of the bright blue sky above, made him feel flustered. Great. He was waxing poetic like he was, well, a son of Apollo. Scowling darkly, Nico pushed a hand through his hair and tried getting to his feet. He didn't have time to be thinking about Will, not when his father was waiting for him.

But even the thought of Will Solace was as persistent as the boy himself, and the memory of that kiss was burned into his head even now. He stood carefully, his body tired but capable of another jump. Turning back to the shadows of the tree, Nico cast one look behind his shoulder. First at the dazzling blue and green colors of the Aegean, and then up at the bright clear blue sky. Then he stepped back into the shadows.

Cold swept over him and wind suddenly rushed past him, a blanket of cold air surrounding him. Nico didn't mind shadow travel. When he was merely a rush of darkness, he felt comfortable. This was where he belonged. Stepping out of the shadows with a slight gasp, Nico found himself in Necromanteion, his father's holy shrine. It was cold and damp and felt uncomfortably empty. His father's altar had been destroyed, replaced with the Doors of Death. Thanatos now owned the doors and they were barred and locked.

Carefully, Nico walked to the broken altar. He could feel energy thrumming through the room, causing his hair to rise and skin to produce goosebumps. He could still remember the events that had taken place in this room. Hazel battling Pasiphaë; Percy and Annabeth stumbling out of the Doors… There was so much power that it was practically tangible.

"Father...I have made my decision about who will accompany me on this quest...I pray now for guidance." He stood hesitantly, waiting for Hades to arrive. He wasn't kept waiting long. He felt his father's presence before he saw the man standing off to the left. The Lord of the Dead's black cloak swirled around him and Nico could hear the voices of lost souls crying out from the woven fabric. His father's black eyes smouldered faintly as he surveyed the ruin to his shrine and then the Doors of Death.

"Who will be going with you?"

Nico took a deep breath. "My...stepsister, as you said." His head hurt just thinking about the fact that his father's immortal wife had a child. Were they related? Persephone was Hades' niece… Gods, no, he wasn't going to try and figure out Grecian genetics. "Will Solace." Will had been quite clear, and Nico had a feeling that if he wasn't officially on the quest, he might follow anyway. Just thinking about Will was causing those skeletal butterflies to rise up in his stomach again, but if Hades noticed, he made no indication. "Annabeth Chase." She was the smartest demigod he knew. If he was going off on some crazy quest, he wanted her there.

Nico had taken a great amount of time trying to decide on the last two members of his quest. His first thought had been Jason Grace. Ever since the blonde Roman had been so accepting of Nico's personal preferences when it came to romance, Nico had felt a sort of friendship with the boy. However, Hades had been firm that this was a Grecian quest and Nico suspected that meant Jason was out as a choice. He swallowed slightly, feeling his father's cold eyes watching him carefully. Waiting for his answer.

"Leo Valdez." The name came out without Nico really thinking it through but he didn't change his mind. He had traveled enough with Leo to know how useful the son of Hephaestus could be. Even without the Argo II, Nico had no doubts that this was the right choice...

"And your last choice?"

Nico hesitated, the name biting at his tongue. But they would need the most powerful demigod he had ever met...

"Percy Jackson."

* * *

Percy Jackson didn't feel like the most powerful demigod as Coach Hedge yelled at him and Annabeth. He couldn't help but glare slightly in frustration; every time he tried to say something, Hedge would just raise his voice. Ever since he and Annabeth had fallen asleep together in the Argo II, Hedge had been following them _everywhere_, making it difficult for them to spend any time together. This most recent rant had been caused by Percy and Annabeth going for a walk to try and relax after the meeting with Hades.

They had stopped to sit at the edge of the strawberries fields on a sunny patch of grass. At first they had simply been talking and enjoying the sweet scent of strawberries and grass in the air, but then Annabeth had pushed him, he had playfully retaliated and before either of them knew it, she was laying on top of him and kissing him in a way that made his blood run hot. His hands had slid into those beautiful princess curls of hers and gripped a little firmer to bring her lips closer to his, and one of her hands had rested on his chest, the other pushing back his hair and running her nails along his scalp… Percy had felt a surge of desire and longing rising up...

Ok, maybe there was a reason Hedge had interrupted. But did he need to threaten so loudly? Other campers were glancing over with amused grins and Percy thought about how nice it'd be to douse Hedge in salt water.

"So if you two can't keep your hands to yourself -" Hedge stopped his tirade as Jason Grace came over, a slight frown on his face.

"Nico's back and Chiron wants you two to report to the Big House."

Percy scrambled to his feet in relief. At least, relieved for a moment before he remembered why they were being summoned. Hades had said that it wasn't Rachel who was in trouble, but rather, the Spirit that worked through her to give prophecies. That didn't mean that Percy wasn't worried about his friend, however. He gripped Annabeth's hand and stepped between an irked looking Coach Hedge, and Jason, who looked mildly frustrated that he had been reduced to an errand boy.

There were bigger things to think about, however, and apparently more confusing things.

If the collection of people for the first meeting had been strange, it was nothing compared to this one. Nico stood at the head of the table, with Will Solace sitting next to him but neither boy would look at the other. Leo Valdez sat next to him, fiddling with something mechanical; the boy could never sit still. Opposite Will was a slim delicate girl with auburn streaked brown hair and a permanent tan. Cassia was her name, if Percy was remembering correctly, a daughter of Demeter.

Annabeth sat down next to Cassia and Percy took a seat next to her. He wasn't sure what to expect. This seemed like a quest meeting, but Percy hadn't expected Nico to want him on it. The Son of Poseidon sat quietly, waiting for Nico to speak. For once, he would be patient to see what was going to happen.

Nico could feel the slight prickling of energy entered the room whenever Percy Jackson walked in. He wondered if the others could feel it: that aura of power that rippled off the Sea God's son. Did Percy himself even know, or was it simply another talent from being the son of Hades? Nico had always been able to sense life forces in a way that no one else could. He watched closely as Percy sat, questioning his choice briefly before taking a deep breath. He couldn't wait forever. It was time for him to lead the quest.

"Without the Oracle, we don't have much to go on...but Hades has given us our direction. We have to seek out Python, the first guardian of the Oracle, which used to belong to Gaia..." His dark gaze moved to Will Solace and he took a deep breath. "Your father killed Python, but when Gaia opened the Doors of Death, he returned to the world and my father believes she might be responsible for reclaiming the Oracle, therefore stopping us from receiving prophecies and giving her the knowledge of any that the Oracle speaks. If anyone has any ideas on where we could search for Python..." At this point, Nico looked to Annabeth.

She thought for a moment and Percy could see her grey eyes growing distant as her brain ran through everything she knew about the Greek myths. Then she turned her head to Nico. "We could try actually going to Delphi, but I think we would be better off searching the States. Like Olympus and the doors to the Underworld moved to the West, I think it's safe to say the location of Delphi would have as well."

"Arizona," Will Solace blurted out suddenly, all eyes turning to him. He laughed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's...it's in Arizona. The Grand Canyon. He wrote a haiku about it several months ago...told me to memorize it…said it'd be important. I thought he was kidding."

"Apollo is the god of prophecies," Annabeth murmured, looking urgently at Will, "did you memorize it?"

Will nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's one of the only times my dad talked to me, so yeah… It's awful though."

Percy cringed; he had heard the sun god's haikus before. They had given him a distinct dislike of poetry.

"Check out the canyon, the spirit chills there my dude, in the sunniest state," Will said, causing everyone at the table to wince slightly, save for Annabeth, who was already processing. Percy knew that look in her eyes. She had always wanted to see the Grand Canyon; apparently she had only briefly glimpsed it while searching for him after Hera stole his memories. She had told him it was a beautiful display of natural architecture and made him promise to go with her someday.

"So 'spirit' is obviously another word for the Oracle," Annabeth said, brushing a blonde curl back from her face, "and Arizona is the sunniest state...so yes. The Grand Canyon. That's where we should start." She paused and glanced at Nico, "That is, if you agree."

Nico nodded and glanced at Cassia for a moment and then at the others. "Leo, how goes rebuilding the Argo II?"

Leo heaved a sigh, looking up from whatever mechanical gadget he was fiddling with, although his hands didn't stop moving. "It's almost done. We could maybe do a rush job. Get some of the other cabins to help, but the quest would have to wait at least three days. Not sure if your dad is keen on letting us wait that long. Not that I know what the protocol for quests are when handed to you from a deity."

For a moment no one said anything, though Nico could see Percy was biting back his thoughts on the matter. Right...they were looking to him to lead. "Three days. We'll leave then."

The others were getting up to leave and Nico was about to leave as well when he caught sight of the lost expression in Cassia's eyes. He wanted to just leave; she could figure things out. But he was the quest leader now. His father had given him a task and part of that was taking care of the people who came with him.

"Annabeth, Cassia, could you two…" He trailed off when everyone turned to look at him. "...stay for a moment?" The three boys all hesitated but once Annabeth gave them a look, they filtered out of the room. Nico turned to look at the two girls who were both looking at him curiously. "I need to talk to you two...about something my dad said…"


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Hey guys! Shorter chapter today! I wanted to try my hand at introducing Cassia a bit more. I know Original Characters can be tricky, so if you guys want me to focus on the canon characters just let me know (politely) in the comments! If you like her, also please let me know! Happy reading!_

* * *

Cassia Grant was not your conventional daughter of Demeter. From her start at Camp Half-Blood, she had been different. While the other children of the harvest goddess were capable of growing crops with ease, Cassia had found that (despite her best efforts) strawberries wouldn't listen to her and corn strictly ignored her. Wildlife, however, seemed to be her best friend. One memorable time, in an effort to help the strawberry crop grow, Cassia had attempted to encourage the vines and instead had somehow caused grass to shoot up three feet high around her. Another time, during the battle against the Titans at Olympus, Cassia had somehow managed to kill telkhine with a tree branch that shot out and impaled the monster before retracting back into itself.

There had been other instances, but Chiron had always said that half-bloods were all different, with different abilities. Cassia was fine with that. Anything was better than the orphanage she had been in before the satyr had found her and brought her to the Camp. Ever since then, she hadn't left the borders of the Camp, save for that foray into New York to save the world from certain destruction. You know, the usual demigod stuff… Going to the door of the Demeter cabin and seeing Nico Di Angelo standing there, telling her that she was needed for a meeting at the Big House? That was about the strangest thing that had ever happened to her.

That is, up until five minutes ago when Nico said that her godly parent was actually Persephone, that Hades himself had specifically requested her presence, and oh yeah, that she was apparently vital to the success of this whole quest. At least she wasn't the only shocked one. Annabeth Chase was looking _extremely_ bewildered, and you knew that, if a daughter of the goddess of wisdom was confused, it was alright to be baffled.

"I thought it'd be better to keep it between us, but I wanted your opinion," Nico was saying to Annabeth, who nodded slightly, staring at Cassia in slight fascination before shaking herself and addressing the group properly.

"Agreed," Annabeth said. "If we need two children of the underworld, and whoever is behind this thinks that Nico is the only one, then it can be to our advantage to keep Cassia's true parent a secret…" She tapped the table thoughtfully before looking at Cassia with curious grey eyes. "Your powers must be different than the other children of Demeter then.

Cassia shrugged slightly, feeling more like a specimen in a museum than a demigod right now, and she picked at the sleeve of her t-shirt. "A bit. Crops don't tend to listen to me. Wild vegetation, however…" Annabeth opened her mouth as if she wanted to ask another question but Cassia shook her head slightly. "Listen...I need some time to process this…" Her whole life felt tipped upside-down. The people who had been her family for two years (the _only_ family she had known) were now not her brothers and sisters. They were...cousins? If Demeter was her mother's mother, did that make Demeter her grandmother...so the children of Demeter were her aunts and uncles? Cassia placed a hand to her head; she was getting a headache just thinking about it.

Annabeth nodded. "I'll go update the others and let them know to stay discreet." The daughter of Athena looked at Cassia one last time, as if fighting back more questions, and then slipped outside. Nico, however, remained standing by Cassia's side and she couldn't help but glance over at the dark hair boy, who was now her...step-brother?

Nico Di Angelo had always been somewhat of a mystery in Camp Half-Blood, from his arrival to his departure, and all the times he had come back in between. He was Cassia's age, but he looked and acted much older. His skin was still pale and people in Camp said it was because of the days he had been in the Death Trance while stuck in the jar. Dark hair drifted in soft shaggy locks around his face and his eyes, though a brown color that should have been comforting, had a wild glint to them. He wasn't wearing a Camp Half-Blood tshirt, opting instead for a black t-shirt that looked old and worn.

Perhaps he wore it for a sentimental reason, for it didn't fit him loosely. Instead, it looked as though it had used to fit him but after months of recovery from his imprisonment, he had put on weight that had turned into lean muscle. If he lifted his arms, there was a faint strip of pale skin visible between the hem of the shirt and the black jeans held up by a white belt that looked unsettlingly like it was made of bones. Nico _should_ have looked like an angsty teenager, like the ones at the orphanage who painted their nails black and listened to screamo music. But there was too much power and darkness radiating from him. She couldn't imagine what he had been through.

"Because your mother is from the Underworld now," he said, glancing down at the skull ring on his finger, "you'll have some unusual powers. I don't know what they'd be given the polar opposites...since, you know, your mom is all about life and vegetation…" He paused, as if giving Cassia a moment to think, and then continued. "Annabeth would be better to talk to about it, but I'd try playing around with some things…" He shifted slightly and glanced at her, and Cassia realized he was trying to be supportive and helpful in the wake of her whole world going topsy-turvy. She smiled faintly and nodded, which seemed to end the conversation.

They both walked towards the door, but before opening it, Nico paused and glanced at her again, "Stay with the Demeter cabin for now...there have been spies in Camp Half-Blood before and we don't want rumors spreading about Persephone's daughter. Plus, I don't think there's a cabin for you."

Cassia nodded, stepping out into the sunshine and instantly feeling better, as if the rays of light gave her strength. "Is there anything I can do to help get ready?"

Nico paused and then smiled a bit grimly, "Try and figure out how to use the underworld side of your powers… I have a feeling we're going to need them.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Notes__: Sorry for the delay! Life got a bit busy but we're back in swing now!_

* * *

"The Calypso?" Percy asked with a playful grin on his lips as he hung by his legs off the bow of the boat. Leo flung a handful of fire at him but Percy easily brought up water from the lake to block it, still grinning cheekily. "Does she know you've named it after her yet?" He persisted, watching from his upside-down perch as Leo slowed welded steel plating together on the front of the boat. Festus, watching from the shore, snorted smoke and curled his bronze tail around the base of a tree lazily.

The three days had passed quickly and now they were finishing up the final touches before they departed. Leo and the rest of the Hephaestus cabin had been working day and night since they had decided to take the ship. Everyone had assumed that the ship would be called the Argo III, or something like that. However, Leo had burned 'the Calypso' into the nameplate on the side and Percy couldn't resist teasing him ever since. Not that he blamed Leo; naming an awesome, flying, floating, completely cool trireme after your girlfriend was a pretty smooth move.

"Nah...I want her to be surprised. Make my big exit even more impressive you know?" Leo gestured with his hands, "Like, whapow - see ya later, but I'll be thinking of you because I named the ship after you." Percy grinned. Ever since Leo had been on Ogygia and then returned back with Calypso after they stopped Gaia, the kid had been the freaking Energizer Bunny. When he had first come back with Calypso (while riding Festus, which was just awesome too), everyone had wondered what would happen given that Calypso was immortal and Leo, well, wasn't. However, Calypso said she would age like a mortal now. Something about the spell of Ogygia being broken and her immortality being chained to the island…

Percy honestly hadn't quite followed but Annabeth seemed to think the logic made sense.

"Whapow, hmmmm?"

Both boys twisted around at the sudden voice, though Percy toppled into the water given his precarious perch. Splashing Leo (and yet standing miraculously dry on the beach moments later), Percy waved cheerfully to Calypso, who stood on the sand looking amused.

"And just what, Leo Valdez, is going to make me go whap-" she said, stepping forward as if to keep lecturing teasingly only to stop mid-sentence when she caught sight of the nameplate on the ship.

Leo beamed and Percy grinned, deciding to give them some time and instead jogging back to the cabins to finish packing. He glanced longingly at the Athena cabin, where he _knew_ Annabeth would be, packing down to the very last detail. However, with some of the campers reaching a more, well, maturity in their relationships, the rules about going into other cabins was being strictly enforced. Instead he swung into his cabin and glanced in his bag to see what he had packed so far. Mostly clothes. He had his watch from Tyson on already; Riptide was always in his pocket. The Minotaur's Horn gleamed on the shelf, but Percy always felt weird about bringing that. The rest of his magical items, Percy realized, had all been lost or given up over the years.

Throwing some jeans, underwear, t-shirts, socks, and whatever else he could think of to bring, Percy then grabbed a handful of snacks from the care package his mother and Paul had sent him. Blue tortilla chips, some Hershey Kisses wrapped in blue foil, blue jelly beans, and of course his favorite: blue gummy bears. Convinced that he had packed everything he would need, Percy exited the cabin with his bag and jogged to the pavilion where the campers were all gathering to eat the afternoon meal before sending them off.

Picking up a plate of food, burgers and fries, Percy sat down and looked firmly at his goblet. "Blue coke." The goblet filled and Percy smiled. His gaze drifted from the campers around him and to the sea in the distance. Soon he would be leaving Camp Half-Blood again and as always, Percy could feel excitement spreading through his veins but also some amount of apprehension. While he had told Leo that the quest wasn't going to be that dangerous compared to other quests, Percy knew that quests had a way of spiraling out of control.

Taking what was left of his food, Percy threw it into the bronze brazier where the flames burned rightly. If they were going to be in the air, he wanted to pray for his father's protection and also for guidance. Things were going to be difficult if Nico still was comfortable with him. Closing his eyes, Percy took a deep breath and then felt the cool breeze off the ocean blow across his face and his shoulders relaxed slightly.

He stepped back from the fire when he heard Chiron's voice calling for the campers' attention and walked back to his table. The other campers were filtering into the pavilion and he caught sight of Annabeth as she walked over with her other Athena camper siblings. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a high ponytail and the curls were bouncing as she walked, making his heart beat a little quicker. She glanced over and he grinned; gods, he loved her.

Chiron's speech was the same as it usually was whenever campers went off on a quest: pray to your godly parent for support, keep the defenses… Percy glanced around at the five other people who would be going on this quest. Nico sat silently at his table, brown eyes unreadable as he ate quietly, not appearing to be listening to Chiron. Will was looking excited, his blue eyes locked on Chiron. Annabeth, as always, was paying attention, her grey eyes bright and eager. Leo was tinkering with something (probably for the ship) but his attention still managed to be on his surroundings. Cassia was looking slightly uncomfortable and Percy couldn't help but feel for her. The first quest was never easy.

Standing up when the others did, he shouldered his bag and made his way towards Annabeth. For a moment, he was ready to lead them to the ship but realized he should hang back. This was Nico's quest and as strange as it felt, Percy had to try and not take control of it. This wasn't his quest and he would need to keep that in mind.

Nico, meanwhile, was acutely aware of everyone watching him as he walked to _the Calypso_. Shouldering his bag a bit more, he walked onto the ship. Did they expect him to give a speech? Why else would the campers have all come down to see them off? He glanced over the edge of the ship and then over at Leo. "Let's go," he mumbled, hoping that everyone would just sit tight. There wasn't much they could do until they either reached the Grand Canyon, or something awful happened to them.

Given Nico's luck, he was guessing that something awful was going to happen.

Five hours into their trip and Leo was wishing they had more time to work on _the Calypso_. Sure, it was a great ship and moved like a dream but there was so much more that he had wanted to do. He sat by the wheel, leaning back against the sleek wood of the ship as he fiddled with an old Nintendo Gamecube remote that would (hopefully) act as a remote that could help steer the ship from his room, the mess hall, the engine room, or wherever else he might find himself in an emergency and needing to steer.

"Leo, old boy, you're a genius. A regular Einstein," Leo said cheerfully as he wiggled the joystick and caused the ship to turn slightly. Excellent. He had big plans for this controller and was tempted to try out one of the shoulder buttons but decided against it for now. If things went wrong while they were in mid-air, they didn't have Jason to stabilize them. For now, he'd have to be patient. Whistling cheerily, Leo was so engrossed in his task that he didn't notice Cassia Grant next to him until he glanced up and saw her standing there.

"Gods and ghouls," Leo yelped in surprise, nearly dropping the controller. Cassia instantly looked apologetic and Leo took a deep breath, gesturing to the spot on the floor next to him. "Have a seat?"

Cassia sat, crossing her legs and looking at the controller curiously. "Is that a Gamecube Controller?" She asked curiously, looking at the device he held.

Leo nodded proudly, eyeing his newest gadget with an expression similar to that of a proud father. "One of the classics. I used to play Super Smash Brothers on my old Gamecube all the time. It felt right to use one of these bad boys to hook up to _the Calypso_."

The auburn haired girl grinned and Leo realized he hadn't really ever seen her smile before. She seemed shy, or perhaps just reserved. Children of Demeter rarely interacted with the children of Hephaestus. Something about nature versus machine… Except Cassia wasn't a daughter of Demeter. She was the daughter of Persephone. Leo couldn't imagine finding out that you were a demigod, living with people you thought were your siblings, only to have all that turned on its head. It sounded like some cosmic joke and he felt bad for Cassia. He knew what it was like to feel as if you were the punchline to some godly joke.

"We used these in the orphanage. We had Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart," she said, watching him fiddle with the controller.

Leo grinned; finally someone who knew video games. "I've been trying to teach Calypso how to play but she's hopeless," he said with a laugh, setting down the controller. "Ever try telling a goddess that she's not good at something?" Fortunately she didn't have any godly powers anymore so she couldn't smite him. The wind spirits were still buddies with her though and any time Leo annoyed her (and let's face it, they were totally in love but he still managed to annoy her), they would sweep around and knock him over.

"I once told Mr. D that he was talking to the trees wrong and looked like he was going to turn me into a dolphin, but settled for putting me on weeding duty…I mean, that's probably because of Pollux..." Leo gave her a bizarre look, confused about what the violet-eyed son of Dionysus had to do with the situation. Cassia laughed slightly. "He has a crush on me, and I like him...but he won't ask me out for some reason, and now I feel like I'm lying to him because he thinks I'm a daughter of Demeter, and Persephone and Dionysus don't get along too well…"

Leo's jaw dropped and he stared at her. "But imagine dating Pollux and Dionysus becoming your father-in-law." He cracked up and his infectious laughter caused Cassia to start laughing too. Usually being a demigod was stressful...other times it was just pretty freaking funny.


	6. Chapter 6

The first evening meal on board _the Calypso _started as a relaxed one. Somehow they had managed to avoid any monsters that might want to get involved in their business and so they had mostly been relaxing. As on the previous ship, _the Calypso_'_s_ mess hall looked like Camp Half-Blood, complete with drinks that magically refilled the goblets. The food was a little more varied, however. The Hephaestus cabin had crafted plates that would, like the goblets, magically refill with whatever you wanted. Apparently one of the Hephaestus kids was a huge Harry Potter geek and had gotten the idea from the books.

Percy had stuck with a burger and fries, but Annabeth was trying to get him to try her ahi tuna salad despite his protestations that he might have talked to that fish before. The argument had led to everyone joining in.

"But can the tuna talk to you or is it just mythological creatures?" Will persisted curiously while devouring his Asian Chicken Salad. "And if you _can_ understand them, that means they're sentient beings and stuff...so wouldn't the same go for like, cows and chickens? And you're fine with eating them." Annabeth couldn't contain the amused snort of laughter and to everyone's surprise, Nico also looked rather entertained.

Percy considered this for a moment and then shook his head, gesturing with a french fry to Will, "Nah, see, that's different. Aquatic animals are smarter." There was laughter and Percy grinned before tossing the fry into his mouth. All in all, he thought, this quest was off to a smoother start than most. They knew the direction they were supposed to head in, they were all getting along, and no monsters had attacked. All in all, the trip so far was going -

Shhhhh-thunk.

As if one being, the demigods all lifted their heads curiously at the sound.

Shhhhh-thunk. Shhhhh-thunk. Shhhhh-thunk.

In quick succession, more of the strange sounds came. Then stopped. Percy stood slowly, his skin prickling. Something was wrong. He was about to speak when suddenly _the Calypso_ dipped hard to the side, sending them all tumbling to the ground and against the side of the ship. They were declining rapidly and still on their side. Cassia was looking dazed and Will was checking her over when the glass of one of the windows shattered and a black feather sunk into the wood of the table.

"Ahhhhh, sh-" Percy couldn't finish before another feather shot in, this one catching Nico in the shoulder. "Arean birds," Percy growled, scrambling towards the door. "Clarisse and I ran into these… Leo! Try to balance out the ship. They probably hit the sails. Will, if Cassia's ok, let's go. We'll need your bow and arrow."

Without question, the demigods responded, though Percy caught Nico glaring at him for a moment. Had he hijacked a moment when Nico should have been in control? Perhaps, but Percy didn't have time to think about that when they were free-falling through the air. Leo had already hunkered down with his remotes and was mumbling to himself, and Cassia had pushed Will away, saying she was fine.

Getting out of a trireme that had tilted over on its side and was falling through the air was not the easiest of tasks, and Percy added it to the list of things he never wanted to have to do again. Feathers kept flying in and shattering the windows, which made getting to the doorway nearly impossible without being hit. It reminded Percy, for one wild moment, of a Mario game where you had to jump over the gaps without being hit by flying fireballs. Unfortunately, they didn't get a restart if they went down…

With the ship on its side, the doorway was about four feet up from where they stood on the side of the ship. Pushing himself up, Percy swung a leg over, about to drop onto the other side when he looked down. The long hallway of the trireme had become a steep drop down to the end of the hallway, much like an elevator shaft without an elevator. The steps up to the deck were down quite a ways.

"LEO!?" Percy bellowed, now unsure of their next move.

"Hang on!" Leo yelled in response, an order Percy wished he had taken literally as the ship suddenly jerked to the side in an awkward attempt to right itself. It tossed Percy to the side into the wall opposite the door and he groaned slightly. However, now they ship was upright again which meant they could get to the deck. Taking Will's hand when the blonde offered it, Percy gestured to the door to the deck, "Out we go."

The scene on deck was madness. A swarm of Arean birds so large that the sky had darkened flew around the ship and sent feathers raining down, piercing wood and shredding the sails. Percy stumbled back the instant he stepped outside, nearly impaled by a dozen feathers. He looked around to the others, about to ask what he thought they should do when Nico spoke.

"Will, do that...whistle thing you did to stun the enemy. That'll give us a chance to fight them off with bows and arrows till Leo has the defenses back up…" Nico said, glancing at Annabeth quickly as if to confirm his strategy.

Annabeth nodded swiftly, "Whistle, we attack, then when they start to recover, we move back and Will whistles again. If we're lucky, his Audiokinesis will affect them much like noise would affect Stymphalian birds; they're closely related to Arean birds…"

"Cover your ears everyone," Will said, taking a deep breath and placing his fingers to his lips. The sound that burst from his mouth was like the scrape of metal against metal, but far worse and far louder. Even with their ears blocked, the others felt a sense of confusion fall over them. The effect, however, was far stronger on the Arean birds. They began pinwheeling around, squawking and even tumbling out of the sky. Without missing a beat, Will had his bow and quiver out, and was launching a volley of arrows into the birds relentlessly. Annabeth was the first to recover and she drew her bow as well, joining Will in attacking the birds. Percy and Nico, not skilled with bow and arrow, stood near the two blondes, slashing into any Arean bird that attempted to get too close.

As Annabeth speculated, the Arean birds did react poorly to the sound, but unlike the Stymphalian birds, they were able to fight through the sound. Again and again, the shrieking whistle shattered the sky and each time, the birds took longer to recover. Will was growing weary though and it showed as his arrows slowed. Percy was gearing up to go out again when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look.

"We're landing in water!" Cassia yelled, "Leo wants you to cushion our fall!"

Percy cursed himself slightly; he should have sensed the proximity to water. Nodding, he capped Riptide and then glanced at the others. Will nodded and took a deep breath to steady himself, and then whistled again, louder than before. Stunned slightly, Percy fought through the induced confusion and stepped out onto the deck. He dug deep inside, searching for the water around them. Then he felt it: the familiar tug behind his navel as he connected with the water. Water surged up around them as they landed and Percy willed it over them, forming a massive bubble around them. His arms shook, tired from fighting the Arean birds.

The ship rocked and bounced as it settled on the waves, and instantly Percy felt a new problem. The feathers had punctured the wood of _the Calypso _and they were going to start sinking. He clenched his hands to keep the bubble around the ship as it rocked and tossed on the waves, eyes closing as he tried to concentrate on pushing the water away from the hull. His energy was being drained, however, and he felt a wave of dizziness crash over him. People were shouting but they sounded like they were miles away as the water roared around Percy. The deck was getting colder and colder...was it freezing…? In a last, desperate attempt to get the water away, Percy flung his hands outwards, sending the water suspended over the boat off to the side before he slumped to the deck of the boat. The last thing he remembered was sliding onto ice…

* * *

"How's the ship holding up?"

"I miss Festus. He could have wrecked those birds. Overall, if we can plug some holes and get a new sail, we're not in bad shape."

"Percy?"

"Will says he'll be fine. Just a bit wiped out from his waterbending."

"His what?"

"Sorry...TV show reference. He'll be fine. Just needs rest."

Nico glanced over as Percy stirred and then sighed slightly. "Right. Will and Cassia make it to shore?"

"Yup. They'll report back soon." Leo sat crossed-legged on a bench next to Percy's bed, fiddling with a Rubix cube. "Smart thinking, freezing the water around the ship. Is that like, a Hades thing? Freezing stuff?"

The son of Hades shrugged, picking at the sleeve of his jacket. "Kinda. Sometimes things just freeze when I'm upset." He took one last glance at Percy and then over at Leo, "Keep an eye on him? I'm going to go check with Annabeth. See how we're doing."

Saluting, Leo returned to his Rubix cube and Nico made his way up on deck. Glancing around for the daughter of Athena, Nico spotted her by the edge of the boat and made his way over to her. He used to be so jealous of her, and sometimes he still was. Not just because of the whole 'crush on Percy' thing, but because she was able to stay so calm and collected, always thinking everything through. Even now she was bent over a map, carefully charting their course. As he approached, she looked up, her fierce grey eyes full of concern.

"He'll be fine." Nico felt like he should be gentler about this, but he had bigger things on his mind, like their ship was crippled on the water and they were practically sitting ducks. "Did you figure out where we were?"

Annabeth nodded, gesturing to the map. "Yeah. Lake Michigan...seems to have landed right near South Fox Island, which is lucky. We'll be able to get wood but we'll have to be careful. The south side is uninhabited, but someone lives on the north side if I remember correctly." Nico nodded and looked over the edge of the ship at the island they had docked near. Sand dunes mixed oddly with cedar trees and the wind whipped across the water and through the tops of the trees. His skin tingled and he wished that he had gone with Will and Cassia to the island...there was something wild about this place.


End file.
